What is unique about your country?
INDIA
Everyone would have heard of India. My country is very unique and one of a kind which cannot be classified as belonging to a certain group.
Before I answer about why my country is unique, I would like to say that I am not going to write a wiki type article that everyone already knows and would not even care to read.
Misconceptions about India
- there is no such thing as a rope climber and snake charmer on every street in our country
- not everybody is uncouth and unclean
- not everyone is a strict follower of God, there are atheists too
- Hinduism is not a religion; it is a way of life
- Hindi is just one of the languages, the south Indians do know Hindi but English is universal
- we also have our personality problems and such, it is not a perfectly happy place - in fact it depends on the individual to be happy or not, not the place
India is a country which has welcomed people from all over the world and absorbed into itself. The natives of India are the Dravidians. Later, people from Iran, known as Aryans settled in India. After that, it was the Muslims, Portuguese, French and finally the British.
If you pick an Indian, he would display an amalgamation of all these cultures. The food, language and the ancestry contain influences.
What makes India unique is that anybody is welcome. Even strangers are given food. Most of the temples, mosques and Gurudwaras offer free food on a daily basis. Those who avail this service are devotees and people who depend on these holy places.
Food is very cheap, especially street food. one can eat a full meal for a dollar and not go to bed hungry. There are high end restaurants too for those who believe in blowing money for food that is served with class.
The villages of India boast of craftsmen who are skilled in their work. If you visit India and want to buy village handicrafts and cloth made on looms and stuff, visit the villages and buy it directly from the poor craftsmen. The mall shops and other such shops only serve to loot the tourists.
Culture is what makes India stand out. The colors.
The people of my country do not believe in black and white. You won't find anyone dressed in formal western clothing during festivals and even on ordinary occasion and such. People love color and dress so. It helps that we have so many textile mills which produce colorful clothing. Also, our hot and humid climate does not recommend black clothes.
I belong to the state of Kerala which is famous for the art forms, martial arts, temples and churches and food. Dishes like fish curry and tapioca are loved by the tourists too.
I do realize that our country is still in the developing phase and that corruption does eat away its progress but it does not mean that we stop trying to be the best.
We shall overcome, some day...